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1 Shot Rib Tattoo (5.5 Hours) by Tim Hendricks at Gold Rush Tattoo .

So I bought some fundoshi's off of eBay a while back, thinking I might use them when I start my backpiece. In hindsight I should have known that only japanese men with bodysuits can pull those off. Pale norwegian guys, not so much. Had to cherish the moment with a picture though. I hope you all feel privileged! :cool: - - - Updated - - - Only thing I made my mind up about pretty early on was that I wanted to go big on my front and back. Other than that I'm just randomly filling it in with different styles of work from different tattooers I dig. I guess my thighs and feet match each other, but other than that I just pack'em in there. I absolutely love the look of japanese bodysuites though, but that's not for me. I like too much from both worlds. Now let's see the rest of you in your fundoshis! If you don't have any laying around, all you need is an old bedsheet and a pair of scissors, and voila.

Finally started my front piece with Horitomo last week. Fuck the sternum is no fun. Next session a week from Sunday.

When pretty girls come in and give me/us cookies or whatever its pretty much one of the best things of the day.

After wading through the 433 pages of great art here i thought i'd include my own art too :) Currently my artist and I are working on my second sleeve (and chest piece), this sleeve is Tamatori-Hime themed. And a close-up of the chest piece: Next week we are going the continue with the background on the upper arm, and start on some coloring. This is a picture of my other sleeve that we did last year: And the chest piece: All the work is being done by Bonel of the Corazon Santo tattoostudio in The Netherlands.

As you can see, I have one arm completed and a start to the other. I'm feeling a drive to get more work done on my front. Saving the upper shoulders for one day when I get on to my back. I'm pondering whether to get large rib pieces that will leave a strip down my stomach, or go huge on the stomach and let the back piece wrap onto my sides. I feel really lucky to be at the stage I find myself in, and have a resource like LST to get inspired with great ideas! It sure beats the awkward moment when you get caught staring at someone's tattoos. (edit, spelling)

We got married last Thursday if that applies :D Wedding last thursday and my new larger tattoo started the sunday! good week eh! :D

I remember saying that but probably in a slightly different context. I pretty sure I didn't mean that because I chose not to part of 'normal' society that I feel any kinship with others who choose, at a cursory glance, a similar path. I choose my associates by different criteria than if we 'modify' our appearance or not. My enemy's enemy isn't necessarily my friend. When somebody decides to become heavily tattooed, I WILL judge them on their tattoos and overall appearance as I expect to be judged on mine. This does not mean that my judgement is always correct but I can make an educated guess that, for example; if someone has 99% crappy tattoos of whatever/every fad and movie-star tattoo of the last two decades that we won't be discussing the symbolism of Kafka and the spirit of Burroughs. Conversely, just because someone has mostly buddhist or various theological themes that we will have an enriching and enlightening discussion. Appearances can be deceptive but serve as an indicator or advertisement of our intent. I feel justified on reading the signals presented and making a judgement call to allow this or that person to take up space and time in my life. I'm sometimes wrong and enjoy the surprise but it happens so rarely that it won't make me re-consider. Kinda reminds me of being a teenager and meeting people with obscure tastes in extreme metal, only to be disappointed when that was the only interest we shared. Or that they liked it for different reasons. Sorry to derail the flow of a TV based thread. I just wanted to make it clear that I'm not a crusader for acceptance. Actually, I'm all for elitism and critical thinking (especially with regards to quality) when it comes to tattoos. The being able to 'back up' tattoos thing - I don't really care, it's not my argument but... I know I'm a tourist with regards to Japanese tattooing. I wear it, I do it, I'm not Japanese etc, etc. I love it but I'm still another foreigner dazzled by the 'exotic' nature of tattooing. I guess most of us are, just some of us spend a lot more time thinking up retroactive excuses for authenticity. I haven't seen any Ink Master since the first episodes of season one but I'm glad it exists. Friends, colleagues and customers of mine get to goof off and air their opinions on TV while still showing that they care about tattooing. One of them said to me that Ink Master isn't for 'us'. It's for people who want to watch reality TV. At least the judges, guest judges and host give a shit about good tattoos. They get to represent 'us' to the people who watch reality TV. I'm cool with Oliver, Dave, Seth Ciferri, Forrest, Jack Rudy etc etc representing 'us'.

thanks.... i live in the sf bay area. started getting tattooed at 18 when my sister brought me to 222 in sf. since then, i've gone to some awesome shops throughout california (and even one in japan, three tides) and collected work from amazing artists. just had a japanese sleeve completed by scott sylvia which looks fantastic! glad i discovered this forum, it's a cool resource.

I like the koi/dragon idea (but not sure how I feel about that specific sketch) as long as you plan on doing a 1/2 or 3/4 sleeve. What artist do you have lined up for the piece? It looks like you are located in MN? Have you checked out Josh Arment at Aloha Monkey? http://alohamonkeytattoo.com/ Here is an example of a dragon/koi by Josh: http://instagram.com/p/MjvWrXThKw/

Who are the 5 best rappers of all time? O'Donnell, O'Donnell, O'Donnell, O'Donnell, O'Donnell He spits hot fire.

i didn't even know that those tags are usually the artist signature :-) The tag on the Tamatori-Hime chespiece has my wife's name, 'Kokoro no Tomo' (Soulmate) and 'Ei' (Eternity) in it. In my dragon sleeve there's 'Futago' (Twins), the names of my twin boys, and 'Ei' (Eternity). (They are also born last year, in the year of the dragon). The big kanji on my lower is the name of my daughter, 'Manamusune' (Beloved daughter) and 'Ushidoshi' (year of the Ox) as the seal.

I think we should turn this thread into people posting full body shots... reading how every one's tattoos are laid out is making my brain hurt. Picture books! Picture books! (sorry it's pre-noon, and I'm bored and delirious at work)

Dragon Koi are rad...but, it needs to be executed properly. It isn't something easily done as both the koi and the dragon need to retain enough of their own structure to know what you are looking at. Also, if you are serious about making sure your tattoo fits the context of folklore then there are certain "rules" or properties that must be depicted or followed in your tattoo. I would go with the koi/dragon personally. I have a zealous appetite for Japanese tattooing and images though.

PLEASE don't go back to the same "tattooer" for that. I noticed you're in Texas, so you should check out ROA in Austin. ROCK OF AGES TATTOO - AUSTIN, TEXAS - - - Updated - - - Or Elm Street Tattoo in Dallas http://www.elmstreettattoo.com/

Sorry to be the one who says this, but that "tattoo" is never going to look good. Like ever... (please don't stop reading here) If you didn't mention that it's supposed to be a pig I don't think anyone could have figured that out from just from looking at it. It just looks like you burnt your arm on the stove or something. Shop or not, friend of best friend or not, that guy should not be putting tattoos on people. My advice would be to give it a few months to heal properly, then seek a professional tattooer to get it covered. It doesn't look like it's going to be too hard to cover, but I'm not a tattooer, so that's just me guessing. There are really good tattooers frequenting this board that might be able to weigh in on that part. I don't mean to be a dick and tell you that your new tattoo looks like shit, but if you just save up a little coin and go to a professional tattooer you can get that covered with something that will look infinitely better than what you've got on your arm now. If you poke around this site a couple hours you'll soon find out what good tattoos look like. I'm also sure that the good folks here will point you to some great shops and artists in your neck of the woods if you're interested.

Thanks for the welcome. My picture taking skills wouldn't do the tattoo justice but you can see it on Valerie's blog here Valerie Vargas Tattoo . It's the lady head under 'Blue is the Colour'. Hoping to book in with her again soon if I'm lucky enough to get a spot!

Good to know since I think I fit that description! The guys at Kings Ave are in for a treat next time I get tattooed :)

Welcome! Did we mention that we love to see pictures? ;)

I only drink the finest Cambodian breast milks.

I got some good news and some bad news... the bad news is I'm shuttin' down the studio...

Whatever you do don't let your tattooer use that drawing for a reference. He/she should know exactly what you are talking about and have their own references. The one you posted is atrocious no offense intended. Out of curiosity, whom/what shop are you planning to go to or do you mind if we give suggestions of artists that would excel at that style based on your location?

IMO if you have a pretty full arm of various tattoos and some are B&G and some aren't its really not all that big a deal. In fact I don't see any reason not to. Color pinup next to grey shaded Indian design isn't really any big conflict. Get a lotta tattoos on that arm! Jap half sleeve next to random grey shaded tattoo would be a big fail, but that doesn't seem to be your plan anyway.

maybe if you buy me a few drinks first

Welcome to LST. While I don't have any recommendations off the top of my head I'm sure someone will. In the mean time, introduce yourself.

@Guero It's from the fans of the Les Skuse Bristol tattoo club facebook page , the page is run by Les Skuse's grandson Jimmy . https://www.facebook.com/pages/Fans-of-Les-Skuse-and-Bristol-Tattoo-Club/287812237921214

this is exactly how a dragon/koi should be done: dragon head, koi body, pointed aggressive fins. NO wiggly dragon/snake body.

Exactly. Love the idea but that sketch is a bit off.

Enjoy every sandwich!

Agreed! I got some leg shots on my instagram. Here's one. Kinda crappy shots for the purpose, I'll throw these up for now till I get home. Here is my two thighs. I like the placement and some of the tweaks done to make it look good when you seem them next to each other. They at least to me compliment each other, while being by 3 different artists (Stewart Robson, Matt Van Cura and Regino Gonzales). This one you can see the "clashing styles" that I seem to think looks pretty good almost touching.

This is a painting of a skull and a book because HP Lovecraft.

Paul Rogers , Les Skuse , Huck Spaulding 1956 .

This monster of a kirin is a oneshot from Marius Meyer.

I'll play this was connected to a tribal wristband that's long covered- done in 1995...I got it because the piercer was out that day haha

Holy shit these massive one shots are making this thread epic! I guess I gotta step up and get a one shot back piece

Ill echo this. If you're going the koi/dragon route I would stay away from your existing B&G tattoo and do it in the other arm.

@Brock Varty, I've finally made it in life.:)

Not all reds have a history of reactions. You could potentially have a reaction to any color and it doesn't always happen immediately. I've seen tattoos that were over a decade old that raised up and had never had any problems prior.

What?!

Took a trip down to Virginia yesterday and had my consultation with Brian Bruno. First appointment some time in November for a half-sleeve and chest plate. Changed up my original plans of Henning do this because I decided to have him do my ribs instead as that is something I wouldn't mind as having in progress for an extended period of time.

Hard to beat that hooper sleeve, but I got this little party cat from my buddy Chris Cotner from Austin. More people should check him out, he rules.

we sure will. I'm fully booked but he might still hve a couple of spots free. There will also be Stefano, Oliver and Emiliano working at the booth :)

Ah what, the hell, I'll give this a try this month. This was done by Thomas Hooper in five sessions between October 2012 and June 2013, mostly at Saved but with one session at the Rochester Convention:

@johnmc I think you've posted this in the wrong thread. This thread's about tattoo aftercare.

Got my first a few months ago, it's in honor of my wife and her family who is chinese. I asked specifically for a 5 clawed dragon which the artist had never done before as he was a Japanese specialist. Not the best pic, taken right after the final session.

first tattoo is my chest piece, done by Chris Conn, January of '05. sorry for the crappy photo, and there's been some fading and aging, but i still love it.

1986 in hawaii when I was in the army:

I felt like blowing some life into this old thread. I got this tattooed in some random tattoo shop in Copenhagen back in 2000. The design is taken from my dad's old businesscard (he's a guitar luthier). The picture was taken two minutes prior to posting... Your turn!